Joanna Gaines Courtesy of Joanna Gaines/Instagram
On the mend. Joanna Gaines revealed she had surgery following a past injury.
“I hurt my back in high school from cheerleading — basically a basket toss turned back injury and I’ve been dealing with it ever since,” Gaines, 44, captioned an Instagram post on Wednesday, December 21.
In the social media upload, the TV personality flashed the peace sign to the camera from her hospital bed. There was also a photo of Gaines cuddling with one of her children and getting some rest after returning home.
The Fixer Upper alum, who shares children Drake, 17, Ella, 16, Duke, 14, Emmie Kay, 12, and Crew, 4, with husband Chip Gaines, noted that her health scare originally started years prior.
“I had my first microdiscectomy in 2001 and had to cancel my second date with Chip Carter Gaines and then had the same procedure on another disc two weeks ago,” she explained. “I’ve always joked that my back likes to act up at the most inconvenient times and I was a bit stressed bc of the timing of it all with the holiday season.”
For Joanna, the chance to address her injury was a blessing in disguise.
Joanna Gaines and Chip Gaines Dan Steinberg/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
“But I’m truly grateful for the forced rest during the busiest time of the year. It has been a gift to simply stay put, stare at the wonder all around, and just be still,” she concluded. “Wishing you and yours a beautiful Christmas week. It may not all go as planned — but may you find the beauty and embrace the wonder of the here and now.”
Ahead of her health update, Joanna offered a glimpse at her family’s festive holiday plans. The former HGTV host shared videos from a gingerbread house contest with daughters Emma and Ella on Monday, December 19.
“I am going to need your help voting. These girls are competitive and I’m the only judge still awake,” Joanna wrote via Instagram Story alongside photos of the finished treats.
After showing off each brightly decorated gingerbread home, the Kansas native joked that her kids “didn’t like” her videos. “So here are the still shots,” she said about each individual creation. “Acting like the kitchen doesn’t look like a Candyland explosion.”
Joanna added: “Thank you to everyone that’s still awake and voted. The girls wanted a re-vote and I told them to go to bed.”